Parkop pledges improvement of sporting facilities

NATIONAL Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop says the sporting venues in Port Moresby will be upgraded to support sporting programmes and competitions.
After the final of the NCD Governor’s Cup at Sir John Guise Stadium on Sunday, he said it would be a priority this year following the re-opening of Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in March.
“Sir Hubert Murray Stadium will host our next final,” Parkop said of the offseason rugby league tournament.
“We also have plans to upgrade the fields at Bomana Police Barracks, Gerehu and the Sir Bill Skate Oval at Kaugere in Moresby South.
“For the oval at Konedobu (next to Sir Hubert Murray Stadium), we’ve been in discussions with the Moresby South MP (Justin Tkatchenko) about upgrading it.
“The tournament has been running for some time now and our people deserve to use first-class facilities.”
Meanwhile, Parkop hailed the support of NCD communities in assisting Governor’s Cup teams during the festive season.
“A lot of teams have come to compete,” he said.
“But at the same time, we’ve had a lot of communities supporting the tournament and that’s the true spirit behind the initiative.
“The whole idea of the tournament is to promote peace and respect among city residents.”
Parkop said the next tournament would be gender inclusive, with a women’s division to run alongside the men’s matches.